In November 2025,Punjabbecame thefirst state in Indiato fully implement the amendedBharatNetScheme, providing high-speed broadband connectivity to all gram panchayats, across the entire state.
- K.A.P. Sinha, Chief Secretary(CS) of Punjab, received the implementation award from Ajay Kumar Kararha, Chief General Manager of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) Punjab Circle in Chandigarh, the capital city of Punjab and Haryana.
About Punjab’sAchievement:
Project Rollout:Implementation started from HarshaChinna block of Amritsar, Punjab and is active in 22 blocks; around 1,000 kilometer (km) of Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) and 400 km of Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) installed.
S-NOC Operational:Punjab became the first state with a functional State Network Operations Centre (S-NOC) under the Amended BharatNet Project.
Coverage Status:Internet and broadband provided to 43 shadow areas; the remaining village to be connected by end of November 2025, achieving 100% coverage.
BharatNet Scheme:The scheme, launched in 2011, aims to provide access to electronic (e)-health, e-education, and e-governance services in rural areas
IAS-2026 - OPTIONAL / GEOGRAPHY / PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION / SOCIOLOGY / ANTHROPOLOGY / ORIENTATION ON 03 & 04-10-2025 
